Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

Reggae musician I Jah Bones does his songs in Spanish and plays to mainly Spanish audiences.- Contributed

Reggae in Spanish to many may seem like an oddity, but for I Jah Bones, singing reggae in Spanish has become second nature.

Jamaican by birth, I Jah Bones, also known as Ronald Thomas, lives in New York and travels often to the Latin American countries, spreading reggae music to the masses. I Jah Bones has come a long way from his roots in reggae music where he began as a deejay on Crystal Rock Sound in 1983. With songs such as No To Drugs, Reggae Rud-A-Dud Rock and Ready My Body, I Jah Bones received a fair reception from Jamaican and United Kingdom audiences.

Describing himself as a straight cultural entertainer, I Jah Bones never thought he would one day spread reggae music to a completely different audience, until one day, he met a producer named Pedro Ornela. Ornela was looking for something different. "I met a promoter from Mexico while in Jamaica. He had a recording company in Mexico, he heard my CD and told me he liked it and wanted to bring the Rastafarian culture to his country," he said.

Since working with this producer, he has been touring Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Venezuela.

While touring, he learnt to speak Spanish fluently by listening to others and by watching Spanish TV. With Spanish under his belt, he soon linked up with various Spanish reggae artistes and released an album entitled I Jah Bones and Friends (I Jah Bones Con Amigos). He is presently working on his solo album and affirms "I graft Spanish into my reggae music but I want to do a straight reggae album - no English".

working market

"I Jah Bones attests that working the Latin American market is not only profitable but full of exuberant fans who love reggae music. He elaborated, "the reception there is very wonderful, each time it gets better and better. They love reggae music in those countries. They have Spanish reggae there. In Mexico, they love reggae music of the '60s and '70s, while in Chile they love dancehall."

According to his publicist Ra-Umi Alkebu-lan, I Jah Bones is making strides for reggae artistes on foreign grounds. He told The Sunday Gleaner, "he is one of the few Jamaican reggae/dancehall artiste that chant in English and Spanish and this is good for the music. He is making a name for himself in Central and South America. He is a well read individual and this is reflected in his music."

I Jah Bones has seen that reggae music transcends all boundaries. "Reggae music is the international heartbeat of the people. Reggae music is the only one that can bring across all aspects into the music. It tears down borders and makes strides. I couldn't believe it when I saw people who speak no English singing a Bob Marley song word for word," he said.